How long can Dems stand by Rangel?

In his trademark gravelly New York brogue, Charlie Rangel has been known to say: “I’ll be with you ‘til I can’t be with you.”

Now, even some Democrats who have stuck with him through his messy financial problems are beginning to wonder if they can’t stick with him anymore.

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The House ethics committee expanded a sprawling investigation into Rangel Thursday, digging into allegations stemming from an August restatement of his personal finances, in which he under reported hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets. The ethics committee action – which was unanimous — came a day after House Democrats turned back a Republican attempt to force Rangel from his Ways and Means chairmanship while the investigation, now in its second year, is completed.

“There’s growing concern at the piling up here of issues,” said one Democratic lawmaker who asked not to be identified talking about Rangel. “People are willing to give some time to the process, but not an infinite amount of time. There will come a time, if this goes unresolved, when the drip, drip, drip will become a torrent.”

Two Mississippi Democrats, Gene Taylor and Travis Childers, have already bailed on Rangel, voting against him on Wednesday.

Also on Wednesday night, Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Fla., who is running for the Senate, chose not to sign a Black Caucus letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in support of Rangel.

Meek told POLITICO that his vote to refer the Rangel matter to the ethics panel was enough of a statement of his position.

“I’m not on every letter that the Black Caucus puts out,” Meek said. “I didn’t feel that it was something I had to break my neck on.”

To be sure, the great majority of the Democratic caucus – and Speaker Nancy Pelosi – still seem willing to stick with Rangel until the ethics investigation is complete.

But even the slightest erosion of Democratic support will have Republicans crowing.

“The American people won’t stand for having a chairman of the House’s tax-writing committee who is under investigation for not paying his taxes,” House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio said. “What more has to happen before Speaker Pelosi does the right thing?”

Republicans are trying to make Rangel an election issue for Democratic candidates – “House Ethics Panel Expands Investigation Into Tax-Cheat Charlie” blared a GOP campaign committee release — and his lawyers’ bills have hamstrung his ability to help colleagues with campaign contributions.

But even if Pelosi relented and asked Rangel to relinquish his gavel, there would be a political firestorm, as she would be moving to oust a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus from a chairmanship he waited nearly four decades to get.